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X-Men

X-Men

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Preachy but Fun
Review: Obviously, the X-Men writers take themselves very seriously - The films opens with a scene at a Nazi KZ. Then again, The story of the X-Men has always been an excuse to preach an ideology. This is probably why they got Bryan Singer to direct this thing - Check out his ultra-preachy 'Apt Pupil'. Anyway, the storyline of this film is basically meant to introduce the non X-Men dorks of the world to the characters so as to get them in line for the next film. And, to their credit, they do this well. Indeed, the best reason to see this flick is Wolverine, played great by Hugh Jackman. He actually brings this film back down to Earth.

The film is also light on the cheeze factor - Rare for a comic-turned-film. Interesting enough, the writers want to so bad for the main antagonist in this film to be a Senator who thinks that Mutants wanting equal rights with normal Humans is like cats wanting equal rights with mice. Ironically, the lord Sociopath Magneto (he bends metal objects with a mere thought) and his Mutant band of Human haters prove the Senator to be correct.

All in all, the film provides enough escapist fantasy, even if it's a little over the top. Here's to hoping the next film is more action and less babble.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A worthy and near perfect comic to movie translation!
Review: Being a fan of the comic book for years, I was hesitant to see this movie after the previous poor marvel translations to the big screen. But, after seeing it, I found that my presumption was totally wrong. This movie aside from its spectacular special effects, had an excellent storyline and attention to detail. Although, some background stories for the individual characters were changed, they weren't changed too much to make a difference for the true fans of the comic book. I found it to be completely entertaining from start to finish and that the actors fit perfectly into their respectful characters. Ian McKellan was an excellent Magneto, and Stewart, the perfect Xavier. The rest of the cast were great and the cameos of other mutants at the academy hinted at possibly an even better sequel. This movie was definately worth seeing in the theater and would be a welcome addition to anyone's DVD collection.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: To all Hollywood Producers: This is how it SHOULD be done
Review: I was excited about the X-Men movie, because, even if I'm not a huge fan of the comics, it allways seemed fresh and interesting and dark, and the kind of stuff that could make a good movie.

The truth, is, though, that I was skeptical. You know the Routine: 'When Hollywood happends to good stories...'. Most Hollywood adaptions are far outcry from the original, and Comics are usually adapted as if the viewer was a mentally challanged nine years old.

But from the very beginning this was something unique. The very first scenes is one of the most haunting I've seen in Cinema in recent memory - it takes place in Poland in 1944, and there really is no word for it but breathtaking - a young jewish kid, seperated from his mother in the Holocaust, finds the special powers within him.

Wisely, the movie doesn't dwell on that powerful scene, but lets it resonate throughout the movie. It makes the villain far more human than most movie villains are, and thus much more disturbing - because you like him.

The movie than turns to near future america with the Mutants in it. I watched with awe as they pulled a Joseph McCarthy-esque character and completely capture the atmosphere of mistrust that the story is all about. It reminded me of what is still the best superheros series - The Wild Cards books.

I went on seeing a powerful scene after another, action and character interacting, and I wondered "how come it doesn't suck?" I was looking at my watch going "For 25 minuited, not only doesn't it suck, but it's GREAT". And I can say that even when it is done, it was a great movie all the way, with the final scene almost as haunting as the opening one.

I'm not going to talk about the Special Effects - you only need to talk about them when the movie is bad, as the only saving grace. But X-Men is a great movie, and the SFX are great as an Addition to the story, not as a substitue.

I have two minor complains:

The first is, that with the complex characters, great acting and clever dialog, the actual action plot - although well done, seems less necessary. The action scenes are some of the best realised ones in recent memory - Toad and Mystique, especially, make great combat enemies, the former with a deadly tongue and the latter with her shape shifting abilities, are really fun to watch - but the movie's serious story, character study and political intrigue is simply so good everything else seems like a distraction ( I realise this is a little like complaining that the meal looks dull because of really great deserts, but this is such a great movie, that this is the only sorts of complaints possible).

The second is that it pretty much screams 'TO BE CONTINUED'. Not that a sequel will be a bad idea, mind you - but "X-Men I" will be VERY hard to top.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Just Plain Nifty...
Review: The best thing about the X-Men movie was that it translated the comic so well. The process of pushing a story from one format to another is obviously a difficult one. (Ever hear the phrase, "the book was better?") As a movie, "X-Men" never fails to give fans of the comic a chance to see their favorite heroes in all their live action glory. The only dissapointments I had with "X-Men" was it's length, particularly in action sequences. For a movie with so much action potential, it really didn't go as far as it could have. Not to say that the action was bad, it just wasn't anywhere near as cool as what "The Matrix," for example, has to offer. I was really hoping to see Storm perform some death-defying stunts on gusts of air, or see Cyclops fight off mobs of evil mutants with a barrage of laser fire, or see Jean Grey forcing her enemies back with a hand gesture (like that spiffy Jedi trick in "The Phantom Menace.") I didn't see any of that. What I did see was less then fantastic, but it was still pretty good for the small budget the prodcers had to work with. Also... the plot wasn't that great. It was sufficient, but not original. I was a bit upset that the movie ended just as it was getting interesting, but I suppose it worked out really well as a springboard for the sequel (also much like "The Phantom Menace.") Overall, "X-Men" was "just plain nifty," and I fully intend to buy it when it's released on DVD. Let's just hope for a "special edition" that's a bit longer than an hour and a half.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best movies I have ever seen....
Review: X-men is one of those movies that you just can't see enough times (I would give it six stars if I could). The special effects, the music and the acting were excellent. Bryan Singer did a great job directing the film, and the casting job was perfect. I would strongly encourage you to go see X-men while it is still in theaters.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not Very X-citing!
Review: This is a film that many die-hard "X-Men" fans havewaited for with great anticipation. And it's these fans who will ONLY enjoy this movie. And you can tell by reading what others had to say. Now, since I really don't remember anything about "X-Men", I can judge the movie purely on the merits of the film itself, and not give a bias opinion. First of all the characters in this film are underdeveloped. Despite what you may hear about this movie, everything is not explained in advance for non-"X-Men" fans. There are many, many characters who go undiscussed in the movie. We never know anything about them. It's never explained in the movie. I'll give you one example, since I don't want to give anything away. There is a character in the movie played by Halle Berry named "Storm". In the movie,we see, she has the ability to somehow control the weather. But, it's never explained how she ever got that power. And this goes on and on with many more characters. In the movie, there are certain things that are brought to one's attention, and are never talked about again. There's no conclusion for the information given...If they were going to introduce something new to the plot, why not go all the all with the information and tell us the rest of the story. The only character I had any interest in watching was "Rogue" played by Anna Paquin. She's probably the most fully developed character in the movie. I think director Bryan Singer rushed into this project, just to please some fans who couldn't wait for the movie to come out. Had he waited,and actually tried to fixs all the loop holes in the script, this could of been a fun,exciting movie to watch. But, that's not the case with this movie. Unless your a big "X-Men" fan, stay away from this movie. * 1\2 out of *****

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sterling comic-to-screen adaptation holds its own
Review: Quite possibly the single best adaptation of a comic book to film yet -- but also an excellent film in its own right, period. Original comic dealt with "mutants" -- humans with genetic variations that give them extraordinary abilities -- and the attendant prejudice and malice heaped upon them by society. Bryan Singer (of THE USUAL SUSPECTS and the lamentable APT PUPIL) eschews camp for an almost matter-of-fact, sometimes downright melancholy look, opening his film just outside the crematoria to Auschwitz (in a scene so strong it resonates through the rest of the movie and gives it depth), and closing it with a battle at the Statue of Liberty. More symbolic locations probably couldn't be found anywhere, but the movie makes them work; it never feels forced or preachy

A striking amount of the film's weight comes from exploring the solitude and detachment from humanity at large that goes with being a mutant. Loner and mutant Logan (Hugh Jackman, in a breakthrough role) encounters runaway Rogue (Anna Paquin), both of whom are empowered in ways that distance them from people -- Logan's ferality and rapid healing make him a tough opponent (and the first time we see him he's a bare-knuckle cage fighter); Rogue's tendency to absorb people's memories and abilities put her boyfriend in a coma when she kissed him. When the two are accosted by the monstrous Sabretooth (Tyler Mane), they're bailed out by Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart, in a role he was born to inhabit) and several of the students in his School for Gifted Youngsters. Logan distrusts the Professor and his motives, but eventually works with them to stop Magneto (an also-stellar Ian McKellan), an old rival of Xavier's.

What makes the film work is, again, not its astounding array of effects and finely-wrough action scenes, but its tone and mood. For the first time (save possibly for BLADE), we not only see but feel the estrangment that goes with being unlike the rest of mankind.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A MARVEL Masterpiece
Review: X-Men The Movie was great,if you were'nt a fan of the comic books,this may turn you on.The only disapointment was that they did not include my favorite,Gambit.The costumes looked cool,the actors were great,they were believable.Patrick Stuwart did a great job as the calm Professor X.The heros and villains are just like I had imagined,especialy Sabertooth and Wolverine,tough,ferosiuos,loose cannons.The action was perfect as well as the special effects such as Toad's tongue and Wolverine's claws.The chreaters were worried about jokking the suits from D.C.'s Batman flicks,in my opinion The X-MEN looked alot better.If a sequel is made i would predict huge success,if they include a certant cajun,Gambit.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Splendid Movie!
Review: I could not wait until x-men made it to the big screen. The movie was wonderful. The cast did exceptionaly well in bringing out the character's persona. Hugh Jackman did a wonderful job in potraying Wolverine. And of course you cannot not forget Patrick Stewart as Xavier. He seems to do well no matter what movie he's in. The only thing that I did not like about this movie (which is a very small thing) is that the movie ended just as it was getting started. I felt like it should have lasted a little longer. For me the climax and falling action came a little too soon; however, this did not take away of how good of a movie this is. Hence the 5 stars. A must see!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A renewed X-Men fan!
Review: About ten years ago I became interested in the X-Men Comic Book cartoon series that was on TV every Saturday morning. I became an avid viewer. I looked forward to Saturday mornings. I waited and waited every day for Saturday to come so that I could see the X-Men. After the cartoon was on for a couple of years, it went off the air, never to be seen again. I moved on. High school came and went and I began to forget about the X-Men. Then, one day this spring, I went to the movies and as I was leaving the theatre, I caught a glance of a movie poster that had a big X on it. At first I didn't know what that meant but then I leaned down to read the tiny print at the bottom of the poster, and can you guess what it said? "X-Men the movie"! I couldn't believe it, I was so exstatic! I waited for the day it was scheduled to be released with no patience whatsoever. The days slowly crept by until finally it was July 14! I rushed to the theatre, bought my popcorn and soda and read my free X-Men Comic book Prequel to the movie. Then the lights faded and a deadly silence swept over the room. With each preview I grew more and more anxious until the movie finally began. Each character brought back so many memories of being a kid and waking up every Saturday morning with anticipation, waiting to see what was going to happen next. I became familiar with each character all over again. It felt like seeing old friends up there on the screen. Wolverine was amazing. I loved his attitude and roughness. Sabretooth was just like he's always been, furry and grumpy. He was great. No one else could have played a better Professor X, no one. Rogue was cool and Storm was magical. Cyclops still has his deadly eyes and Mystique was very sneaky. Magneto had an upseting childhood and a mind that was set on one mission...to let the world know that he's mad. Toad's tongue could give anyone a mean whipping and last but definitely not least, My favorite X-Woman, Dr. Jean Grey. She met my every expectation. She was beautiful, smart, and had all the guys running around in circles. I loved it! I definitely recommend the X-Men movie, it renewed my interest in it and now I'm an obsessive collector of everything X-Men. It may sound childish but everyone is a kid at heart. I'm lucky enough to have found something that I really love and hope that others will love it too.


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